End-cell switch.



J. W. ACHARD.

END CELL SWITCH.

APPLICATION IILED D110. 23. 1911.

.1 67,573. Patented July 15,1913.

JOHN W. ACI-IAB-D, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

END-CELL SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 191.

App1icat'ion filed December 23, 1911. Serial No. 667,567.

To (1% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN lV. Aorrauo, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEnd-Cell Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to end cell switches which are designed for cuttingin and out of circuit the end cells or regulating cells of a storagebattery.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a compact andeconomical construction and arrangement of the various parts of such anend cell switch where large current carrying capacity is required.

The general nature of my invention will be more clearly understood byreference to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an elevation of an end cellswitch constructed in accordance with my invention, while Fig. 2 is asection taken in the plane A A of Fig. 1.

Referring to these figures, 1 and 2 represent two continuous conductingrails of the end cell switch which are connected together and to anydesired circuit by means of the conductors 3 and 4:.

5, 5 6, 7 and 8 constitute one row and 9, 9 10, 11 and 12 another row ofterminal contacts which are connected together in pairs by means ofconductors such as 14L and 15, from whose junction points connection maybe made to various end cells of the battery.

Four brushes, 16, 17 1S and 19 are shown carried by and suitablyinsulated from a traveling carriage or nut 20, which may be movedlongitudinally by means of the screw 21. It will be seen that thecontinuous rails 1 and 2 are connected in parallel, so that the currentflowing between the battery and the circuit is divided between them, andthat each pair of opposite switch points, such as 7 and 11 are alsoconnected in parallel, each carrying half of the total current. Each ofthe four traveling brushes carries one-quarter of the total current.This arrangement permits a switch of large capacity to be constructed ina comparatively small space. The

length of the traveling brushes is reduced to a minimum, and thelaminations of which they are composed may be straight. It will also benoted that the contact pressure is balanced on opposite sides of thecontact points and of the rails, and also on opposite sides of thetraveling carriage 20, so that there is no tendency to distort theseparts or throw them out of line. The desired pressure between thebrushes and the con tact points and rails is produced and may beadjusted by means of the bolts shown in the drawings.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s 1. In an end cell switch, a plurality of contact railsand an equal number of rows of contact points alternating with therails, said rails and rows of contact points being spaced around andparallel to a common axis, traveling brushes connecting each rail withthe adjacent rows of contact on either side, and means for moving saidbrushes simultaneously.

2. In an end cell switch, a plurality of interconnected contact railsand an equal number of interconnected rows of contact points alternatingwith the rails, said rails and rows of contact points being spacedaround and parallel to a common axis, traveling brushes connecting eachrail with the adjacent rows of contacts on either side, and means formoving said brushes simultaneously.

3. An end cell switch comprising the combination of parallel rows ofcontacts and contact rails arranged in pairs at the opposite corners ofan imaginary parallelogram, brushes for connecting the rows and railsarranged along the sides of the parallelogram and means for moving thebrushes longitudinally of the rows and rails.

t. An end cell switch comprising the combination of parallel rows ofcontacts and contact rails arranged in pairs at the opposite corners ofan imaginary parallelogram, a screw at the center of the parallelogram,a nut on the screw and brushes carried by the nut for connecting therows and rails, said brushes arranged along the sides of theparallelogram.

5. In an end cell switch, the combination of a screw, rows of contactsand contact rails spaced away from and parallel to the screw anddisposed in pairs diametrically of the screw, a nut on the screw havingradial arms, and brushes cooperating with the rails and rows ofcontacts, disposed crosswise of the arms.

JOHN W. AGHARD.

Witnesses T. S. HAMMERsLEY, C. V. JORDAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

